The new mammoth Microsoft Israel office complex in Herzliya has officially opened. The new Microsoft campus is not only environmentally friendly, it also showcases some of the innovative green tech produced by Startup Nation.
The Microsoft Israel R&D campus cost $105 million to build and was designed by Israel’s Yashar Architects. It is the first such complex in Israel to have LEED V4 Gold certification for being environmentally sound.
The new campus offers 45,000 square meters (450,000 square feet) of above ground space and another 45,000 sqm below ground too.
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The Microsoft building is the first building in Herzliya’s new development of its business district. It aggregates all of Microsoft’s local divisions into one building. It provides a large enough space for a daily influx of 2,800 Microsoft employees.
The complex has a 3,5000 square meter garden and offers employees 8,000 square meters of open space to relax in during their free time. There are also playrooms, nursing rooms, working balconies, a basketball and volleyball court, a yoga room, a 1,000-square meter gym, music room and a dog park.
Workers will also benefit from on site postal services, laundry services, a convenience store and six dining zones with two cafes, meal delivery and takeaway services.
And then there is all of the new green tech which has been incorporated into the project, offering the perfect synergy between the high tech and green tech sides of Startup Nation.
The Microsoft campus offers internal sunlit atriums, large sea facing balconies at every level that cascade down the elevation and has a double curtain wall shielding the interior offices and work spaces from direct sunlight. That is just one of its Eco-friendly features.
The new Microsoft campus also integrates water-from-air-moisture systems developed by Israeli startup WaterGen. That company hopes to someday be able to solve the world’s water shortage problems by taking the humidity out of the air and turning it into drinking water. And Israel’s coastal plain where Herzlya is located certainly does not lack in humidity.
Israeli company Wint Water Intelligence has provided its AI based water leakage detection technology.
There are also air filtration technologies developed by enVerid Systems and 800 square meters of photovoltaic cells that will provide power to the building. These cells literally turn light into energy and one thing that Israel certainly does not lack is sunshine.
In addition to all of that, there is a “GreenWall” platform for growing vegetables too.
“The innovative campus in Herzliya is a long-term investment in Israel by Microsoft,” said Michal Braverman-Blumenstyk, CVP and General Manager of Microsoft Israel R&D. “Microsoft’s sustainability value has been incorporated into every aspect of the campus, and a great deal of thought was put into every detail, from convenient transportation, through accessibility and integration of diverse populations, to wellbeing in food, fitness, and leisure.”
“The new campus brings a new experience to all of Microsoft’s employees in Israel, and I’m happy for this personal and professional union,” added Ronit Atad, General Manager, Microsoft Israel. “The physical proximity will empower us and improve our service to our customers and partners. This new innovative tech center will allow us to offer our customers and partners the best and most cutting-edge solutions that will lead them to success and digital independence.”